Ashes to ashes

Special thanks to Henry Petty for contributing as today’s guest writer.

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, honoring the first day of Lent. This is a time when Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the desert before the beginning of His ministry, and is a time of prayer and fasting, all culminating at Easter. Traditionally, people will give up something they love, like social networking, coffee, video games, and background noise.

During the ceremony at Church, I go up to the priest, who then places ashes on my forehead in a symbol of the cross. He utters these words as he does this:

Regardless of your faith, or lack thereof, I believe everyone can get something from this. To me, it’s a humbling experience, reminding me of my transgressions as well as how fragile life is, and to not take it for granted, because I’ll eventually return to “dust”.

I am truly grateful for the life I’ve been given, and know that tomorrow is not a guarantee. In the movie “Fight Club”, one of the characters’ lives is spared. The Brad Pitt character tells his sidekick, ”That man’s breakfast tomorrow will taste better than anything we will have ever tasted in our lifetime.”